Meowth's Chronicles
by Maldorana
Summary: Meowth tells us some stories about his life with Jessie and James... A huge thanks to XxNachoxX for helping me translating my fanfiction.
1. Nightly Thoughts

**Meowth : Da name is Meowth, as I am sures youse knows; yep, dat same talkin' Meowth dat works for da infamous Team Rocket ! I work with said villainy with meh two best friends - Jessie and James ! I knows youse watch us on dah TV, but youse far from knows everytin' about us ! Sos, ol' Meowth here will tells youse dah whole story… when dah camera ain't rollin' ! First, let meh tell youse about yesterday, before wes fell asleep…**

"So tell me, Jessie, have you truly never thought of doing something else rather than working for Team Rocket?"

Surprised by his question, Jessie rolled over in their bed to face James. Today, they had yet again experienced another failure against those blasted twerps; but, that wasn't a reason to talk about quitting Team Rocket. Reluctantly, she answered him, knowing that the sooner James received his answer, the sooner she could sleep in peace.

"Well, when I was a little girl, I dreamt of marrying a sweet, handsome, and wealthy young man; that way, I would never have to work, and I would grow old and happy with him!" Jessie reminisced.

"Did dis prince charming 'ave lavender hair, by anys chance?" Meowth interjected.

"GRR! NO! Meowth! He did not have lavender hair." Jessie growled and then flicked Meowth's apparently invisible nose.

The room went silent after that. Incapable of sleeping now, Jessie moved closer to her partner and whispered to him seductively:

"But he does now."

By reflex, the young man smiled at his friend. However, as James thought more deeply about what Jessie had just said, he soon realized he didn't quite grasp what she meant.

"Wh…w-what? Now he does what?"

Jessie sighed deeply, attempting to hide her annoyance.

"Now he has lavender hair."

It was now Meowth's turn to sigh deeply. Humans had a really strange way to court another; or maybe it was just these two. Anyway, he really hoped that they would refrain from doing dirty "things" tonight, or else he'll get sick again. But the scratch cat quickly reassured himself when he heard James's last remark:

"Really? Same as me!" He said. "I sure hope he's nice and…."

Hearing that, Jessie lost her temper and kicked him.

"It's YOU! You dummy!" She yelled at him.

**Meowth : Da author told meh to tells youse a little somethin' : If youse liked dis chapter, before youse go anys furder, youse HAVE TA go on XxNachoxX's profile to read 'er fanfictions too ! She sures is a Team Rocket fan as well !**


	2. Together For Worse

**Meowth : Hey! It's meh again! Youse'll neveh guess what Jessie did last week…**

"Ahhhh! No! Jessie, let go of me!"

"James! Will you stop fidgeting?! It's gonna be really painful if you don't stop!" she threatened him.

The two team-mates were only in their underwear, with Jessie sitting astride her partner.

"BUT IT'S GOING TO BE PAINFUL ANYWAY!"

"How do you know? You've never even done it before!" She sneered at him.

Not knowing how to answer her last remark, James radically changed the subject.

"Well anyway, I still don't understand why _you_ have to be on top!" He whined.

"Because _I_ am the team leader, that's why," Jessie said to put an end to this discussion. "Now, we wait until it's all hardened and then we move onto a more serious matter."

However, the young man still tried to reason with his friend:

"But why do we have to do it this time? We've never done it before, and everything has gone very well!"

"No, James, not everything has gone "very well". I'm sure it's because of this that we are always losers. But now, we're gonna be invincible!" Jessie laughed.

"Tell meh how are we gonna be invincibles by waxing his legs?" Meowth pondered aloud as he entered the room. "Not to mention that youse twos are in a very obscene position. Do youse know there are kids watching us?"

His human friends peeked at each other; then Jessie turned around to look at the feet of her partner, all the while still straddling him.

"I'm pretty sure we only get caught by the twerps when we wear our disguises because James's legs aren't waxed when he wears a dress! I won't be fooled again. This time, we're going to do things the _right_ way!"

At once, she leaned over to grasp the edge of the hardened wax bands she had applied on James's legs.

"James, get ready."

Reluctantly, the young man did the same thing and grabbed the hardened wax bands on his friend's legs.

"I warn you, if you hesitate, I'll pummel you. At the count of three then."

James whined a little while Jessie closed her eyes.

"Youse guys really are strange folks." Meowth said as he eyed them.

"One." Started Jessie.

"Two." Whimpered James.

"THREE !" They yelled in unison.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHH!" Shouted the two as they ripped off the other's wax bands.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! WHY DA HECK ARES YOUSE SCREAMING SO LOUD?! Meowth cried as he jumped out of his fur.

Jessie and James got all teary-eyed because of the pain in their now smooth, waxed legs. When they stopped shouting, Jessie fell down on James's chest.

"We did it." She said in relief.

"Yeah… How was I?" James asked.

The young lady chuckled when she heard his question.

"You were very good, James. Now put on that dress: it's time to sample the joys of victory!"


	3. Conference at da HQ

**Meowth : By da way! Meowth has ta tells youse da day when Jessie, James and I were summoned at ta HQ for a conference about sexual harassment at work! Everybodys thought we were crazy folks but wes laughed a good time.**

"Mhhhh, I think I'm gonna fall asleep," yawned James.

James was seated with Jessie and Meowth in the lecture hall, which was normally used to teach new recruits from Team Rocket. A lot of other Team Rocket members were also present, and everybody tried desperately to keep their eyes open during the showing of a video.

"It feels like we've been here for hours," added the young man as he flopped down on the table in front of him.

"Well, it's been somethin' like an hour," the scratch cat pointed out.

"I think this is a complete waste of time! I doubt anyone in this room is concerned about sexual harassment at work," Jessie complained as a yawn escaped from her mouth.

"Yea', so YOUSE say. How many times did youse two pull Meowth's poor tail? If I believe dat video, youse two are serious perverts!"

James had already fallen asleep by that point; Jessie was soon joining him−her head was slumping over, right next to James's. She yawned again then mumbled:

"Of course Meowth, we are perverts," Jessie sneered. "Take notes for us, will you?"

"Pfff, dat's always Meowth's job. Ain't it?" he sighed in exasperation as he put his head on his paw to look at the big screen.

A few minutes later, the video finally came to a finish. The lecturer turned on the lights then he introduced himself. Meanwhile, Jessie and James were still fast asleep pressing up against the other and breathed noisily.

""So….let's see what you can remember from my 'oh-so boring' video. Any volunteers? AHA! You two! Since you seem to have paid soooo much attention - not to mention that you think it is perfectly fine to fall asleep during a presentation - you can answer my questions!"

Meowth quickly woke up his human friends and showed them their interlocutor. Everybody was watching them now.

"Let's try this my little 'nappers': give me an example of sexual harassment."

The two partners eyed each other; they then quickly turned towards Meowth, as if begging him to help. Powerless, the scratch cat only waddled on his chair, as if he felt uncomfortable, which gave Jessie an idea.

"For example if… James was to touch my butt… intentionally," she stuttered.

Hearing that, James immediately grasped his friend's hands and gazed into her sapphire eyes with a bright fire burning in his emerald ones.

"But you know I would never do that, don't you Jessie?"

"Don't worry about that, if you would, I'd pummel you so hard you'd be on your knees begging for forgiveness," she reassured him with a smile.

"And you would be absolutely right," James replied as he smiled back at her.

After this peculiar declaration, the whole lecture hall went silent. Though it took only a few seconds for the lecturer to pull himself together and go on:

"Well… Yes… That is a typical example of physical sexual harassment. However, you need to know the three different types of sexual harassment: verbal, visual, and physical. We'll start with verbal…"

He talked for about several minutes, but some miniscule detail caused James to raise his hand.

"About inappropriate nicknames, let's say if…my partner's name is Jessie…"

His two team-mates rolled their eyes at James's remark.

"… I can still call her "Jess" sometimes, can't I? Or is that inappropriate?"

"It is totally appropriate. However, if you would call her "sweetie" or "baby" or "my little pussy", it…"

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL DID YOU JUST CALL JESSIE?" James had rapidly gotten to his feet and bellowed with pure ferocity.

Everybody in the lecture hall stared at James, however, at his side, Jessie was gazing at him with complete and utter adoration.

"Calm down, young man, or I'll be forced to give you a misconduct for your irrational behavior, and who knows what Giovanni will do to you. I can assure you this was just an example−I meant no harm whatsoever."

A little ashamed, James sat down and the lecturer continued his boring presentation. But this time, it was Meowth's turn to interrupt it by raising his paw.

"Youse talk about all dese rules to protect humans at work. But is dat go for Pokémons as well?"

"Well…it…" the lecturer was at a loss for words.

"Of course not, Meowth, because no one is going to sexually harass a Pokémon!" Jessie interrupted.

"And all da times youse touch my butt! Don't youse dink dat's sexual harassment?" He sneered.

The three of them didn't notice it, but a strong feeling of disgust was emitting throughout the room.

"Oh but Meowth, we were only kicking your butt, not touching it in any sexual way. There is quite a difference."

"Yea, so what? It doesn't change dat it's very painful for ol' Meowth! And youse don't have ta do it!"

"And what about you, when you scratch our face, do you think it's pleasant?" Retorted James.

"Yeah! So don't act a poor, little, defenseless Pokémon!" added Jessie.

The room started to get antsy, much to the lecturer's dismay. He took haste to get it back under his control.

"Everyone! Please calm down! Now, let's get back to my discussion…"

The lecture went on pretty normally, until they got into the next topic: physical sexual harassment. Barely a few minutes after he began, the lecturer let out a deep sight as he saw Jessie's hand raise in the air. But, he still let Jessie have the spotlight:

"You said hugging is part of inappropriate behavior, but James and I, we hug very often."

"An' meh too!" Meowth piped in.

"The appropriate behavior would be to ask permission first, miss," the lecturer sighed.

"But I…"

However, Jessie was cut off by James who just threw himself to knee at her feet as he took her hand. He seemed to be pretty nervous, but remained determined.

"James? Come on, get up! Everybody's watching us!"

"Precisely…this way…there will be plenty of witnesses. Jessica…Will you agree if I take you against me…ummm…" He suddenly began to panic.

"In sickness, and in health, in richness and in poverty…"

"Meowth!" Yelled the young man.

"Fine! I now pronounce youse husband and wife. You can kiss dah bride." Giggled the scratch cat.

An awkward silence fell on the lecture hall. Everybody stared at them, wondering if the three of them were affected by some sort of mental sickness. Finally, James acted as if he didn't hear anything, and started over, more calmly this time:

"Jessica, will you agree if I hug you during special events, like…ummm."

"Idiot ! Of course I agree, because I'll do the exact same! Now get up and stop being foolish!"

She didn't want the others to see she it but she was blushing a little bit. This time, the lecturer took a few more time to compose himself again, and quickly ended his presentation. He decided against asking to see if anyone had any more questions - and we all know why.

"Finally done!" Meowth sighed as he followed his two human friends to the hallway.

"You could have refrained yourself to put us in such an awkward position," complained James.

"The bright side is that Cassidy and Butch weren't here to see that," Jessie pointed out.

"But I thought they convoked all da Team Rocket members…" said a pensive Meowth.

"Which just proves to show that Bith and Cassidy weren't here because they were fired!" Jessie said matter-of-factly.

"I love the idea!" James exclaimed.

"Ah, Meowth too!"

**Meowth : Youse couldn't even imagine the disbelief on our****faces when wes were told da our rivals were actually in da middle of an highly secret mission for da boss, and weren't supposed to come…**


	4. Jessie's Tears

**Meowth : But as membas of Team Rocket, wes don't really have fun all dah time; especially when dah Boss gives us a telling off…**

"Jessie? Are you okay?" James worried as he came closer to the stump she was sitting on.

She had hung up the videophone a few minutes ago, but she still hadn't moved a muscle since then.

The Boss had called them, as he did it sometimes, to tell them how disappointed he was of their pitiful work. But this time, he asked James and Meowth to move away in order for him to have a private discussion with Jessie. During the conversation, they didn't hear what their dark, cunning, and evil boss was saying, but they noticed Jessie hadn't spoken once and was slumping by the second.

"Jessie?" James called again as he put his hand closer to her shoulder.

But he hardly had touched her when she started to run away from him, dropping the videophone she was holding from her lap.

"Jessie! Wait!"

Mindlessly, James and Meowth quickly went after her. Jessie seemed to be incredulously sad− she was in complete distress. She couldn't even run properly. Thus, James and Meowth were able to catch up to her soon. James grabbed her arm to stop her, but they lost balance and both rolled onto the grass.

The young woman said nothing when she fell on the floor, now sitting next to her friend. Usually, she would have yelled at him or something, but she just looked down instead, attempting to avoid his worried gaze.

"Jess?" The young man uttered.

At first, she moved away when James stuck his hand out to try and caress her. But he was so sweet when he endearingly rubbed her chin, attempting to make her look at him, that she couldn't keep avoiding his gaze anymore. Her make-up flowed all over her cheeks. She cried, the tears breaking away from her eyes and strolling down her melancholy features.

"Oh, Jess…" He whispered as he saw her face etched with sadness.

The young man immediately wrapped his arms around her. Jessie let herself meekly return his embrace and cried at her heart's content against her friend's chest. James whispered something in her hair as he gently swayed her back and forth. Meowth stood aside to let the two humans cuddle each other. They seemed to be doing that an awful lot lately, the scratch cat thought to himself.

When Jessie's tears almost stopped, James let her go and wiped her bleary, wet eyes.

"Jess, what happened?"

"Did dah Boss make youse cry?" Meowth asked as he crept closer to his companions.

The young woman nodded quietly:

"He told me… Horrible things..."

Hearing that, James and Meowth exchanged a weary glance.

"Tings?"

"What things?" James asked at once.

Jessie's tears gushed out again and she turned over so they couldn't see her face embedded with even more sorrow. It took her a few minutes to compose herself again:

"He talked about my mother… He said I was bringing disgrace to her, a little more every day, while she even died to serve Team Rocket," she stammered.

James and Meowth glanced to each other once again and the scratch cat merely shrugged:

"Surely dah Boss jus' wasn't havin' a good day…"

"Yes, and I'm sure he didn't mean that, Jessie," added the young man. "Anyway, you know he's wrong, don't you?"

Another wave of pure sadness seared through her being that shook Jessie to the core. She seemed to be so ashamed… Anything he could have tell her, it would really affect her.

"Jessie, just because he's the Boss, he's not necessarily ri…"

He hardly had finished his sentence that Meowth smacked him in the head.

"Hey! Don't speak ill of dah boss!" The scratch cat was highly indignant. "It's our duty tah serve him under every circumstances!"

"I don't care! He didn't have to make Jessie cry"!

"No, James. Meowth's right." The young woman murmured as she raised her wet eyes toward him. "If my mother could see me, she…"

"If your mother could see you, she'd be proud of you, Jessie. Never doubt that," James gently assured her.

"But I…"

"You are strong, beautiful, determined, intelligent and probably one of the best Team Rocket agent. On top of that, you're happy with Meowth and I, aren't you?"

Still giddy by so many compliments, Jessie only managed to silently nod.

"So, your mother would certainly be very proud of what you are," he concluded.

Jessie gave him a smile and glanced at Meowth, who confirmed with a nod.

"Thank you both." She lovingly whispered.

She snuggled up to James and pulled Meowth in their embrace, who couldn't help but purr with pleasure faced with such a demonstration of affection.

**Meowth : Jessie don't cry very often, oh no, but wes are always dere for her when dere's someting wrong! Dat's right!**


	5. News of Jessiebelle

**Meowth : I tink dis story is going ta interest youse as well. It is about dat James' devilish fiancé…**

"Ahhhh! Help! Save me! Get that awful thing away from me!" James cried as he climbed up on the table, scared out of his skin.

"James…" Jessie reprimanded him. "There's nothing to be afraid of."

"Dats true, it's just a letteh," Meowth added.

The three Rockets had found refuge in a little wooden hut, and a Pidgey had just delivered a letter addressed to James. However, as soon as the young man realized who the sender was, he panicked.

"B… But… It… It… Comes…F… From…."

Meowth got closer to the letter which was on the floor.

"Ahhh! It comes from Jessiebelle!" The scratch cat became suddenly alarmed and started to frantically back away.

"You two really are wimps," Jessie sighted as she picked up the letter.

She sat at the table and opened the envelope.

"Hey Jessie, dats James' letteh!" Meowth pointed out as he jumped on the table next to her.

Jessie looked up inquiringly at James. He just got off of the table and backed away to maintain a very reasonable distance from that daunting and ghastly letter.

"Oh, no no, go ahead, it's yours. Just do whatever you want with it," James declared, still afraid.

Jessie glanced at Meowth with a self-important look, surely happy to see that her friend still loathed his fiancée.

"So, let's see what this shrew wants from you again…" Jessie sneered as she unfolded the letter.

The young woman's face distorted itself as she read the first lines. She seemed to be fulminating inside and was surely holding herself back from saying all the swearwords she knew. Driven by curiosity, Meowth stationed in front of her to read the letter as well:

"Euuurk, dis girl really is loony," the scratched cat said indignantly. "Listen, James : _I can't wait to crack my whip on your lovely bulging butt… _Aaahhh, I tink I'm gonna vomit" He moaned as he hurried towards the exit.

Jessie watched him going through the door, then turned back to look at James; but he wasn't there.

"James?"

The young woman distinguished a moan and looked around, trying to find out where the sound was coming from. She found him under the table, cowering with fear. She got up, walked toward him, and then crouched.

"Come on, James, get out. There's nothing to be afraid of," she said softly as she held her hand out to him.

She helped him out, but kept her hand in his to reassure him.

"S-So, what does she want?" James managed to ask her.

"Well, among loads of obscenities in dubious taste, she says she wants ya back," answered Meowth as he closed the door behind him.

"There's more Meowth," Jessie pointed out. "She says if you're not back within a week, for her birthday, she'll break up with you and your parents will disinherit you forever."

"Pfff, if only…" James sighed.

He let go of Jessie's hands and flopped into the nearest chair, plunking his head down in the table.

"Does dat mean dey won't disinherit youse?" Meowth wanted to know.

But immediately, he got kicked by Jessie.

"Hey, dat hurts!"

"No, it's probably another scheme to bring me back," James answered. "Like that time when they pretended to be dead, or when they announced I'll have a little brother, or when they told me Growlie was dying…" He sighed heavily.

Jessie and Meowth glanced at each other, as if they wanted to agree about the right thing to do, and it was Jessie who came forward near the young man.

"James, what's wrong?" Jessie asked as she put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's just… I ran away from home to taste the joys of freedom… But when I see my past going after me like that, I no longer have the feeling of true freedom," he admitted with a resigned tone of voice.

Jessie clumsily patted his shoulder and leaned forward to grab the letter at the other side of the table. She crumpled it until it became a paper-ball and then threw it into the trash.

"Don't think about it. They have no way to find you. And even if they did, we'll always be there to get you out of their clutches," she assured him with a wink.

"Meoyes." Meowth confirmed as he jumped on the table. "Youse don't worry 'bout dat, Jimmy."

James only smiled a little, still drooping on the table. Realizing she didn't really succeed in cheering up her friend, Jessie looked back to Meowth, with an interrogating gaze. She wasn't very talented for those kinds of moments, the scratch cat thought as he looked at her in amusement. So, he gave her a nod to encourage her to head for him.

"James…" She hesitated as she came closer.

The young man looked up and noticed her feeling of awkwardness as soon as his gaze crossed hers. He immediately got up and took her hands. Even when he wasn't feeling well, he was always there for her, to help her, in any moments. Meowth told himself while watching them.

"Don't worry Jessie. We're both together, and that's all that matters for me," he said without taking his eyes off of hers.

Jessie's face lightened up in a radiant smile. They were closing the distance between themselves, but a voice interrupted them.

"Bot? Bot? What about me?!" He yelled with indignation.

The two humans shared an amusing look, and then burst out laughing. Then, James caught Meowth and they both tickled him until he laughed as loud as they did.


	6. Good Night, Little Rockets

**James: Greetings, everyone! Meowth is gone for a while and he asked me to stand in for him. So… he told me to tell you a lasting memory about the three of us. The fact is I don't really know which story I should tell you… Oh, yes! Maybe that time when we were summoned at HQ for our first skills assessment. We had to spend the night there and we were so nervous that we couldn't sleep. Fortunately, I had a great idea!**

James sighed deeply and rolled over in his bed for what appeared to be the hundredth time that night.

"James, will ya stop stirring about?" Meowth yelled at him and nearly clawed his eyes out.

"I can't help it−I can't sleep…wait a minute. You're not sleeping either!" James noticed as he sat up in his bed.

The young and stunningly handsome young man could barely see his furry friend through the darkness of their room. Meowth was at the other side of it, curled up into a furry ball on top of a pile of pillows.

"No. I tink about what's going ta happens tomorrow… And dat's making me anxious," he moaned.

"Yes, that's the same for me. You think it's the same for Jessie, too?"

The room was so dark, they couldn't see anything, but the scratch cat had the ability to see in the dark; so he stood up straight on his tip-paw and tried to catch sight of his pink-haired friend who was on the top bunk bed.

"Well, no. I tink she's sleeping."

The young woman yawned loudly and rolled over on her bed.

"And as usual, you think wrong," she sneered.

As a result of her last sentence, the whole room went silent a few seconds. Then, James got an idea:

"I know what we're going to do in order to sleep!"

The amazingly cute young man got up to take something out of his bag and then went back to his bed. He had sat against his pillow, against the bedhead. But, as soon as he lit up his bedside lamp, a voice from above shouted at him:

"James, turn that thing off right now! How do you expect us to sleep with that on!?"

"But I need the light on to read us a story." James pointed out.

Hearing that, Jessie didn't know what to say. As for Meowth, he jumped up, and in one leap, he landed on James's bed.

"Really Jimmy? What are youse gonna read us?"

"It's Grimm's Fairy Tales. I borrowed it from the library. My grandparents used to read me that story every night when I was young."

"No one evah read me stories for mes tah sleep." Meowth despondently said.

"Well, get comfortable and enjoy!" The tremendous young man happily answered.

James observed the scratch cat curling up into a ball against his legs as he purred noisily and looked up toward Jessie's mattress.

"Hmm… Jessie, do you want to come as well?" James asked.

When he didn't get any answer, he opened the thick leather-bound book and added for his red-haired friend:

"I'll just speak louder than usual so you'll be able to hear it anyway."

James couldn't see it, but what he just had said made Jessie smile a little bit. The magnificently attractive young man was staring at the mattress above him, with the hope that she'll come with down to join them, but Meowth was getting more and more impatient.

"C'mon James, just read the story!" The scratch cat attempted to sway him.

After a last glance towards Jessie's mattress, James choose a story and began to read:

"The title is Rapunzel. _**T**__here once lived a man and his wife, who had long wished for a child, but in vain. Now there was at the back of their house a little window which overlooked a beautiful garden full of the finest vegetables and flowers; but there was a high wall all round it, and no one ventured into it, for it belonged to a witch of great might, and of whom all the world was afraid. One day…_"

But he stopped when he heard a noise and looked up once again. He suddenly felt Butterfrees dancing around in his stomach as soon as he saw the shape of his best friend climbing down the ladder. She stepped forward and said shyly:

"Can I come with you?"

The extremely elegant young man's eyes enlightened and he moved back to make room for her. But he bumped into Meowth.

"Hey! Bes careful, Meowth's there too!" The scratch cat protested.

But James ignored him and answered his human friend:

"Of course, Jess. Just take your pillow and get comfortable."

He didn't dare to open up the blanket, suspecting she would rather sleep on the floor than going under the sheets with him. Jessie sat right next to her teammate, leaning against the pillow she placed onto the bedhead as well. James waited for Meowth to settle down against him, and continued the story:

"_One day, the wife was standing at the window, looking into the garden. She saw a bed filled with the finest rampion that looked so fresh and green that she began to wish for some; and at length she longed for it greatly. This went on for days, and as she knew she could not get the rampion, she pined away, and grew pale and miserable. Then the man was uneasy, and asked, "What is the matter, dear wife?"_

"Oh," answered she, "I shall die unless I can have some of that rampion to eat that grows in the garden at the back of our house." The man, who loved her very much, thought to himself, "Rather than lose my wife I will get some rampion, cost what it will." So in the twilight he climbed over the wall into the witch's garden, plucked hastily a handful of rampion and brought it to his wife. She made a salad of it at once, and ate of it to her heart's content. But she liked it so much, and it tasted so good, that the next day she longed for it thrice as much as she had done before; if she was to have any rest the man must climb over the wall once more. So he went in the twilight again; and as he was climbing back, he saw, all at once, the witch standing before him, and was terribly frightened, as she cried, with angry eyes, "How dare you climb over into my garden like a thief, and steal my rampion! It shall be the worse for you!"

"Oh," answered he, "be merciful rather than just, I have only done it through necessity; for my wife saw your rampion out of the window and became possessed with so great a longing that she would have died if she could not have had some to eat." Then the witch said,  
"If it is all as you say you may have as much rampion as you like, on one condition - the child that will come into the world must be given to me. It shall go well with the child, and I will care for it like a mother."

In his distress of mind the man promised everything; and when the time came when the child was born the witch appeared, and, giving the child the name of Rapunzel (which is the same as rampion), she took it away with her.

Rapunzel was the most beautiful child in the world. When she was twelve years old the witch shut her up in a tower in the midst of a wood, and it had neither steps nor door, only a small window above. When the witch wished to be let in, she would stand below and would cry,

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel!  
Let down your hair!"

Rapunzel had beautiful long hair that shone like gold. When she. heard the voice of the witch she would undo the fastening of the upper window, unbind the plaits of her hair, and let it down twenty ells below, and the witch would climb up by it.

After they had lived thus a few years it happened that as the King's son was riding through the wood, he came to the tower; and as he drew near he heard a voice singing so sweetly that he stood still and listened. It was Rapunzel in her loneliness trying to pass away the time with sweet songs. The King's son wished to go in to her, and sought to find a door in the tower, but there was none. So he rode home, but the song had entered into his heart, and every day he went into the wood and listened to it. Once, as he was standing there under a tree, he saw the witch come up, and listened while she called out,

"O Rapunzel, Rapunzel!  
Let down your hair."

Then he saw how Rapunzel let down her long tresses, and how the witch climbed up by it and went in to her, and he said to himself, "Since that is the ladder I will climb it, and seek my fortune." And the next day, as soon as it began to grow dusk, he went to the tower and cried,

"O Rapunzel, Rapunzel!  
Let down your hair."

And she let down her hair, and the King's son climbed up by it. Rapunzel was greatly terrified when she saw that a man had come in to her, for she had never seen one before; but the King's son began speaking so kindly to her, and told how her singing had entered into his heart, so that he could have no peace until he had seen her herself. Then Rapunzel forgot her terror, and when he asked her to take him for her husband, and she saw that he was young and beautiful, she thought to herself, "I certainly like him much better than old mother Gothel," and she put her hand into his hand.

She said: "I would willingly go with thee, but I do not know how I shall get out. When thou comest, bring each time a silken rope, and I will make a ladder, and when it is quite ready I will get down by it out of the tower, and thou shalt take me away on thy horse.""

Jessie interrupted him as she tapped him on the shoulder:

"Look," she whispered as she stared at Meowth's position.

The two of them burst out laughing as they looked at their furry friend, curled up into a ball on his back and snoring loudly. Jessie leaned against James's shoulder and told him:

"Go ahead. Keep on reading."

A little surprised by her reaction, James's radiating emerald eyes met Jessie's sapphire ones. She was all sleepy and her eyes were half-closed. After a while, he smiled at her and went back to the story:

"_They agreed that he should come to her every evening, as the old woman came in the day-time._

So the witch knew nothing of all this until once Rapunzel said to her unwittingly, "Mother Gothel, how is it that you climb up here so slowly, and the King's son is with me in a moment?"

"O wicked child," cried the witch, "what is this I hear! I thought I had hidden thee from all the world, and thou hast betrayed me!" In her anger she seized Rapunzel by her beautiful hair, struck her several times with her left hand, and then grasping a pair of shears in her right - snip, snap - the beautiful locks lay on the ground. And she was so hard-hearted that she took Rapunzel and put her in a waste and desert place, where she lived in great woe and misery.  
The same day on which she took Rapunzel away she went back to the tower in the evening and made fast the severed locks of hair to the window-hasp, and the King's son came and cried,

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel!  
Let down your hair."

Then she let the hair down, and the King's son climbed up, but instead of his dearest Rapunzel he found the witch looking at him with wicked glittering eyes.

"Aha!" cried she, mocking him, "you came for your darling, but the sweet bird sits no longer in the nest, and sings no more; the cat has got her, and will scratch out your eyes as well! Rapunzel is lost to you; you will see her no more." The King's son was beside himself with grief, and in his agony he sprang from the tower: he escaped with life, but the thorns on which he fell put out his eyes. Then he wandered blind through the wood, eating nothing but roots and berries, and doing nothing but lament and weep for the loss of his dearest wife.

So he wandered several years in misery until at last he came to the desert place where Rapunzel lived with her twin-children that she had born, a boy and a girl. At first he heard a voice that he thought he knew, and when he reached the place from which it seemed to come Rapunzel knew him, and fell on his neck and wept. And when her tears touched his eyes they became clear again, and he could see with them as well as ever. Then he took her to his kingdom, where he was received with great joy, and there they lived long and happily. END."

James couldn't help but smile when he observed that everything ended well, and looked back at Jessie. He winced as he saw she was sleeping against him. Even if he could be able to sleep with the body of his friend pressing against him, she surely was going to pummel him as soon as she woke up in the morning. However, he preferred not to think about that and laid down, trying his best not to wake her in the process. At the end, he nodded off pretty quickly, soothed by Jessie's regular breathing.

**Jessie: Stop talking nonsense James! Since when are you "amazingly cute" or "stunningly handsome"? As for this story… That's not how it happened!****First of all, you **_**begged**_** me to join you; and since I couldn't stand your pathetic whines, I came down!**

**James: You're wrong, and you know it! And anyway, why are you telling lies?**

**Jessie: I'M NOT LYING! And… Oh, there's Meowth! You'll see who the liar is!**


End file.
